Prayer
Has there been a worship song you’ve been hearing on the radio or at church or running through your head lately that strikes a chord with you this week? Find it on YouTube and play it. Sing it as a prayer to God.

Scripture
James 2:14-19 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it? So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works. You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear.

Reactions
Have you ever known someone who was all talk and no walk? What did you think about that person?

Digging below the surface
List the questions James asks in this passage.

Does he answer them for us, or expect us to understand the answers on our own?

What are the answers?

Is it a godly practice to say one thing and do another thing?

What does that tell you about God’s character?

Making it stick
How does your faith affect the way you live?

What is important about showing others our faith by our works?

Notes
I just want to be up-front here. It is not easy to be a Christian. Jesus never said it would be. In fact, he promised the opposite. Following Christ means a life of dying to self and being willing to do the hard things.

So often, however, I have dead faith. I put up this clean front that says, “Look at me. I’m such a nice, neat Christian.” But my motives are wrong. Or I ignore the Spirit’s leading to reach out to someone. Or I say blithely, “I’ll pray for you!” and then promptly forget all about the request.

Why do I bother going through the motions of Christianity if it isn’t real and isn’t going to change me? I mean, spending time with God each day, all the effort of going to and serving at church, enduring stigma from being a Christian – none of that is worth it if I’m not going to be 100% all-in from my heart.

To be honest, I don’t have too much trouble feeding and clothing other people – that’s a personality trait of mine. But I do have trouble acting out my faith in my personal life. I struggle to believe that God will give me the resources to obey what he’s called me to do. I fight to believe that I can overcome. Is my faith going down deep and truly changing me? Or is it all a bunch of talk?

Lord, you are good. You’re a great God. You have all the resources I need. You say, “Give and it will be given to you.” In my various roles in life I’m constantly giving to others. My faith is dead if I don’t believe you can fulfill me, and if I don’t let you create a new attitude in me. Lord, I want to keep my eyes on you. I want to live a life that is pure – what you see is what you get. I want to be real. Amen.

•